The snow has melted  (in some fortunate areas of the country) and spring is just around the corner. So what better way to welcome the warm weather than with exciting, cost-efficient SPJ programs and activities on your campus?

PROGRAM IN A BOX

The Society of Professional Journalists has recently created Programs in a Box to help accommodate your chapter’s programming needs.  We understand that sometimes the clock moves too fast and budgets are just too small, so this new initiative is intended to help you implement a successful program with little planning and little cash.

“PIB” contains a variety of pre-planned programs for your chapter to utilize at any time. Each program includes nearly all materials that you’ll need — even fliers! Just choose a program that interests you, download the “stuff,” and watch it come to life.

The first of many “PIB’s” to come is Journalism Movie Night. The only thing we can’t do? Pop the popcorn!

Once your chapter has used one of the programs included in “PIB,” we would love to know how it turned out! Please share both successes and failures so we can continue to build and improve.

Additionally, if your chapter has held a successful program that you think another chapter could benefit from or if you just have something to add to our list, please let us know.

Direct all feedback about “PIB” to SPJ National Student Representatives Tara Puckey and Taylor Mirfendereski.

SPJ’s SPRING CONFERENCES

The 2011 SPJ/RTDNA conference, “Excellence in Journalism” may be more than six-months away, but there’s no reason why  you can’t get a taste of professional development in just a few weeks.

Each spring (between March and April), SPJ holds day-long conferences across the United States, bringing area journalists, students and journalism educators together in one place to hear from industry experts on topics impacting today’s journalists.

Regional conferences create excellent opportunities for students to network with professionals and fellow SPJ students from your region. You’ll build relationships that can lead to mentorships, internships, and even jobs.

Click here to read details about your region’s spring convention.

FIRST AMENDMENT FREE FOOD FESTIVAL

It’s a well-known fact that SPJ fights for a free press and strives to educate students about the First Amendment. But what you may not know is that SPJ offers $250 grants to student chapters willing to host a unique educational event that’s literally a food fight.

The First Amendment Free Food Festival (FAFFF) is a program in which students symbolically sign away their First Amendment rights in exchange for a free lunch. Since it was created in 2006, more than 20 FAFFF’s have been hosted around the country.

SPJ will award $250 grants to 10 chapters who want to host a FAFFF on their own campuses. While there’s no deadline to apply, you must host your FAFFF by May 31, 2011.

Visit http://www.spj.org/fafff.asp  and koretzky.com/free for more details about this perfect spring event.

Exams are almost over, and now is the time to start working on developing your resume. The Society of Professional Journalists wants to help maximize and jump-start your career with these great tips for building better resumes:

Like some news stories, a resume seems to be something that is never perfect and that you are never done writing.

The good news is that a resume should be a “working document” that needs to be tweaked and changed from time to time. Here are 10 tips to help you create or improve your resume.

1. Use updated contact information. Will you be moving back home after graduation? Make sure all contact information will be current for at least six months after sending out a resume. Do not include a school address you will not be living at after graduation or a school e-mail address that may not be active six months after graduation. Also make sure all the contact information for your references is up-to-date and be sure to give all references a heads-up before adding them to your resume.

2. Experience means experience. Whether it was an internship or job, whether you got paid or you did not, if you gained experience that will help you in a future job, it should be included. This includes a website or podcast you do as a side project or the Pulliam/Kilgore FOI Internship.

3. Awards and honors are more than statues. It is important to include examples of when your work was recognized. Most of the time this includes awards like the SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards, but do not forget other honors like scholarships or a training/conference you were selected to attend.

4. Chronological order may not always be the best. Just because it is the most recent position does not mean it should always go first. Lead with what will show a potential employer why you are the most qualified for the job you are applying for. If your last position was as a copy editor, but you are applying for a reporter position and have four years of reporting experience, lead with the reporting experience.

5. Don’t hide the lead. Potential employers know what interns do so leave the boring details for the end or completely off. Were you put in charge of all the news interns at a station? Did something you wrote get published? Did you win an award while working for the publication? Say you are an award-winning journalist, say you were in charge. Always lead with what sets you apart from other candidates. Leave the transcribing details for the very end or off the page.

6. Make sure skills are skills. A section dedicated to the skills you have can be valuable if utilized correctly. Lead with what sets you apart. Do you know HTML? Flash? Make sure those skills are at the top and leave Microsoft Word and Windows toward the end of the list.

7. Cater your resume. It is a great idea to have a basic resume ready at all times. But, when applying for jobs, you should not be sending the same resume to two difference places. If you are applying for an online position you will want to showcase your online experience; if you are applying for a producing position, showcase your producing experience, etc.

8. Don’t get lost in titles. Whether it is an award or a publication you worked for, if it is not easily recognizable, come up with an alternative way of saying it on first reference. Names of publications and news stations may ring-a-bell in that particular city, but across the country or the world they will probably not mean much. Use call letters instead of station names. Describe the scholarship as a journalism scholarship from your school then follow with the title.

9. Presentation is everything. First, your resume should always be one page. I know we all have done a lot, but at this point in your career it needs to be only one page. Second, make sure the font is legible and not too small. A few other things: make sure the paper you are using is not distracting, do not be afraid to use boxes to separate some accomplishments and do not be afraid to bold or italicize key words.

10. List and use social media. If you use Twitter professionally, make sure you include your username prominently on the resume. On a paper resume I would leave off Facebook and LinkedIn URLs because they are too long – but ALWAYS include them electronically and mention you are on them. Send people to your personal website or blog and make sure it is updated. If your accounts are not professional, do not link to them and it is probably a good idea to clean them up before applying for jobs.

Lynn Walsh is an investigative video journalist with Texas Watchdog and chairwoman of the SPJ Generation J Committee.

SPJ’s Convention and National Journalism Conference is just around the corner (October 3 – 5), which can only mean one thing: campus chapters need money! SPJ is not oblivious to this, which is why the campus board members pulled together some fundraising ideas for campus chapters.

• One of the fastest ways to earn money is to partner up with a local restaurant or business willing to donate part of a night’s profits to the chapter. The basic idea is that the chapter would promote the evening, which means an increase in business. A lot of chain restaurants do this, but you can always check with local businesses to work out a similar arrangement.
• Some campus athletic departments will also allow campus organizations to sell concessions for a cut of the profits. A twist on this idea would be to sell an item that the department does not typically carry.
• Selling t-shirts and other memorabilia with a catchy phrase or slogan is always a big moneymaker. Early in the semester may be the best time for this fundraiser. Other items to put slogans on could be notebooks, drawstring backpacks, and water bottles.
• Some other popular items to sell – with a little bit more planning and effort – are AP Stylebooks. A stylebook sale can be very profitable. However, chapters need to be willing to make a much larger financial commitment upfront, and be prepared to compete with the campus bookstore.
• Creating midterm care packages for incoming students is also a great way to raise money. A school’s academic affairs office can provide chapters with the names and addresses of parents and legal guardians. A chapter can charge around $20 for a package, and then fill it with $5 to $7 of goodies. Another nice touch is to include a signed card from the parent or guardian.
• Don’t be afraid to “hit people up” for money, too. Department chairs, deans, and provosts usually have a special fund that can be used at their discretion. Be prepared with a good argument as to why the convention will not only benefit your chapter, but the whole school. Student governments have also been known to give money to organizations in need.

There are six ideas to get you started, but there are countless more out there. Chapters with their own fundraising ideas are encouraged to share their ideas in the comments! Also, a big thanks to Board Member Neil Ralston for most of these tips!

Don’t forget to check back for more convention ideas and news!
____________________________________________________________
Andrew M. Seaman is a student at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York, and a recent graduate of Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He is one of SPJ’s student representatives on the national board and you can follow him on Twitter @andrewmseaman.

Welcome to The Weekly Index!

Please forgive the minimal posts this week. The school year is back, and in full swing, but I’ve compiled a pretty good list of links to keep you busy.

• Jessica Durkin, SPJ Digital Media Committee member, has a really cool post on one of the first tablets that people hoped would revolutionize the way we read newspapers. Obviously, the tablet in the 1994 video wasn’t and instant success, but who knows? Maybe, Apple will have better luck over a decade later.
• Speaking of the iPad, here is what The New York Times had to say.
• In more related Apple news: The University of Florida said they will require some of their journalism students to buy Macs, software packages, and other equipment. I can’t say that I am in favor of it, but the students will be able to use financial aid.
• You may not have the money to start a school newspaper, but as long as you have eager young minds… anything is possible. A high school in Ohio had trouble reviving a school paper that had sat dormant for 15 years. Their answer: Blog!
• Hey, young journalists! Do you have an online portfolio? Why not check in on the discussion over at SPJ’s Generation J blog.
• The Los Angeles Times has partnered with students from USC to produce content for their homicide blog.
• A battle has been brewing between a teachers union and a student publication in Nevada. A teachers union attempted to stop the publication of an article, but it looks like the article was published today after all. Check one for the First Amendment. Also, check back for a longer post on this.
• It looks like an old printing plant from The Washington Post will be sold, but unfortunately it doesn’t look like the presses will be start back up. The University of Maryland purchased the plant, which closed last year to extend their east campus.

There are about 100 other links that I would like to share with you, but I am heading to class. I will update the post later with a few more!

Happy Friday everyone!

This week was my first week of the last semester of my undergraduate career. I spent my time in classes, at the dentist, and morphing our campus chapter at Wilkes into a regional student chapter.

I would recommend that your schools consider looking to other local institutions for members, because it can really do wonders for your membership.

Linda Hall, membership coordinator for SPJ, pointed out this portion of our bylaws to me.

Section Seven. City-or area-wide campus chapters may be established by four-year and two-year universities or colleges within a radius of 75 miles, provided that at least one university or college involved has a school or department of journalism or offers courses of study relevant to the scope of the Society as defined in Article One, Section Two.

That being said, let’s get to The Weekly Index!

• The keynote speaker for the Spring 2010 National College Media Convention in New York City was announced yesterday. Terry Moran, co-anchor of ABC’s Nightline will headline the event on Monday, March 15. The convention, which is put on by the College Media Advisers, Inc., will take place from March 14 to the 16 at the Marriot Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City at Times Square.
• John Ensslin, SPJ’s Region 9 director, talks about his “excellent SPJ weekend” on the Rocky Mountain SPJ Blog.
• Jay Mathews, an education columnist for The Washington Post, writes about why novice reporters should cover national education, and more experienced journalists should spend time on the local level.
• Here is an interesting discussion on the AP’s Facebook on how journalists should act in a crisis. The discussion stems from one of their own reporters and his reports from Haiti.
• In related news, The Los Angeles Times has an interesting article on the delicate line walked by medical correspondents when they are called upon to assist in a crisis.
• The National Sports Journalism Center has a great editorial from Jason Fry, a veteran web journalist. He argues that news organizations should embrace a young writer’s blog instead of forbidding them.

Plenty of young sportswriters could use personal blogs to make themselves into cleaner, stronger writers who better understand their own business and are more open-minded about its possibilities. ~ Jason Fry

• Of course you couldn’t turn anywhere in the world of journalism this week without hearing about http://www.nytimes.com/ planning to charge for content starting next year. Could this be the start of something good?
• SPJ’s diversity blog has a really useful post from Leo E. Laurence on whether to use the word “Latino/Latina” or “Hispanic.”

When journalists use the word Latino for a person whose ancestry can be traced to Spain, they are generally safe. But, using the word hispanic may offend many Latinos. ~ Leo Laurence

• Leo also wrote a great post on the diversity blog about why journalists should avoid the term “illegal immigrant.”
• The first Donald W. Reynolds Visiting Professor in Business Journalism at Arizona State University is veteran New York Times business reporter Leslie Wayne. Here is the press release.
• Want to make your sports webpage POP? Make a heatmap! Here is a post on how to make them.
• The Washington Post celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by having some of their staffers, including Ben Bradlee, recite part of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and asking viewers how King inspired them.

Here’s the video:

Have a happy and safe weekend!

p.s.You can always follow us on Twitter, too!

Photo Courtesy: Mallory Kydd

Nine students from the Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School completed a 24-hour reporting project on December 6, which they titled, “Homeless≠Voiceless.”

The students spoke with 16 homeless people at St. Vincent De Paul, a local assistance organization in Phoenix, during lunch.

Their project’s website features articles, videos, and pictures from their conversations.

Mallory Kydd, chapter president, said in a press release that the chapter initiated the project hoping to give members an opportunity to report outside classroom walls.

“It gives our members a taste of what it’s like out in the field,” said Kydd.

Christopher Callahan, the dean of the Cronkite School, was the project’s editor. Callahan reviewed the student’s work as it was turned in.

Thank you to the students and the dean for sharing this wonderful and successful project with us.

Below is a video from the project:

Publication's Cover

College Media Advisers, Inc. recently released their annual Keeping Free Presses Free publication, which is a treasure-trove of great information for student journalists and advisers.

Andrea Breemer Frantz, associate professor of journalism at Robert Morris University and a member of the CMA First Amendment Committee, discusses her experience and thoughts on the First Amendment and private universities in “When the First Amendment doesn’t apply: Teaching free speech and press at private schools presents challenges.”

Breemer Frantz also revisits Tinker v. Des Moines, one of the most important Supreme Court cases for students in U.S. history, by interviewing Mary Beth Tinker in “Wearing our constitutional rights as we walk through the schoolhouse gate.”

Tinker, her brother John, and their friend Christopher Eckhardt wore black armbands in 1965 as a way to protest the Vietnam War. They were quickly disciplined by the school district.

As Breemer Frantz writes, “What began as a simple call for peace by a handful of teen-agers quickly developed into a precedent-setting challenge before the Supreme Court to determine just how far the First Amendment could stretch to those under the age of 18.”

The article celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 7-2 Supreme Court decision, which said First Amendment rights do not end at the schoolhouse door.

Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center, discusses current and past court battles resulting from online publications and cyberbullying laws in “More students facing online censorship.”

According to LoMonte, some states have enacted cyberbullying laws with broad language, which results in “open-ended enforcement discretion that can easily be manipulated by govern¬ment officials looking to stifle legitimate speech.”

LoMonte also discusses the pitfalls of being a student media adviser in “The cost of defending students’ rights: Two advisers lose jobs for defending the rights of their students.”

The article highlights the circumstances surrounding cases of adviser abuse at Maryland’s Morgan State University and Clark College in Washington.

The publication also features a roundup of 15 college press cases through the years, an informative article on obtaining a $5,000 grant as part of the Liberty Tree Initiative, and a great article on SPLC’s Adam Goldstein answering 10,000 legal requests since 2003.

You can find the publication at the CMA website.

Has your campus chapter done something amazing lately?  Have you put on programs to educate about First Amendment Rights or ethics?  Did you have a membership drive and end up with a new heap of members?  Or are you just great?

Let us know what your chapter has done in the name of journalism lately.  We’ll highlight great ideas and accomplishments on the blog so other chapters can learn from your success!  Feel free to send pictures and documents as well.

Greatness can be sent via e-mail to student representatives Tara Puckey (tpuckey@spj.org) or Andrew Seaman (aseaman@spj.org).

Student pays school, school provides education.  School expects student to learn and succeed, student expects school to…

With the changing face of journalism, it’s clear that students need to expect more from their journalism schools.  More than a few people think that “expecting” simply isn’t enough and that demands are in order.

Robert Niles recently wrote a list of eight things that journalism students should demand from their journalism schools, but we’re just highlighting a few of our favorites below.

Role Models
Students need someone they can emulate, both academically and professionally.  Bringing guest speakers to schools isn’t enough. Students need to be engaged in choosing the speakers and the areas of interest and should be allowed as much access to professionals as humanly possible.

New media: the Internet
While most journalism students are being taught all forms of reporting and writing, some schools may not provide enough focus on the new types of media.  Students need experience with social media and writing specifically for the Internet.  If it’s not provided and encouraged, demand it.

Making a Name
It’s not just about the best resume or most respected school anymore when it comes to getting a job.  Companies are now looking for people whose name has already graced the face of the journalism world.  It’s the schools responsibility to be an agent for their student, to provide every opportunity to publish their work and encourage them to make a name for themselves.

Passion for “the change”
A journalism student needs encouragement about the new face of the business.  Passionate instructors who teach their students how to adapt and change rather than fold and quit are not only benefiting themselves, but teaching their students there is hope in a business that the whole world is watching.

So make the demands as a student.  If not, you’re only hurting yourself.